7 Home Improvement Projects That You Should Never DIY

Some home improvement projects, like installing a tile backsplash, are relatively easy for most homeowners to tackle. Then, there are other projects that just aren’t worth the hassle. Here are seven home improvement projects you may want to leave to the pros.

Plumbing and electrical

Unless you’re a plumber or an electrician, it’s best to leave these complex systems to those skilled in working with them. Even a small leak could lead to big water damage and just a short could spark a house fire. Don’t risk serious harm to your home or yourself, leave these jobs, no matter how simple they might appear, to the pros.

Big renovations

Even if you’re a skilled handyman, renovations such as adding a room or tearing out a wall could pose problems if you don’t know your city’s building codes. Diving in without all you need to know, as well as the required permits, could get you cited, which means fines, which defeats the budget-minded purpose of doing it DIY.

Plus, building codes are in place to ensure structures are sound and safe. If you’re unfamiliar with them, you could end up undermining the structural integrity of your home.

Window replacement

We know energy-efficient windows can save you big money on utility bills, but don’t start the savings by tackling this yourself. Let a professional install them so that you can reap those savings. There’s nothing worse than thinking a project is going to save you money, only to find you did it wrong and it will cost you more to correct the flaws.

Window installers have specialized knowledge and specialized tools to tackle this task.

Roofing

We know you can grab the ladder and clean the gutters and look for damage, but don’t grab a hammer and replace the shingles. Leave the repairs to the experts to ensure they’re done right (no leaks) as well as to ensure you don’t make things worse or void your warranty.

Exterior painting

You aced that bedroom repainting project, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can do the same for the entirety of the house. For starters, there is significant prep time involved in repainting your home’s exterior–scraping, sanding, power washing, caulking, priming. It all takes serious elbow grease and lots of time. Let someone with the right tools and the right crew do it and save yourself the aching muscles and the hassle.

Projects involving extreme heights

While we’re talking painting and roofing, it’s worth mentioning that jobs that require the ladder might not be DIY fare. The World Health Organization reports there are more than 164,000 ladder-related trips to the emergency room and 300 ladder-related deaths in the United States annually.

Tree removal

While lopping off those branches might be DIY, cutting down the tree is not. Height can be deceptive and unless you know just how tall a tree is, you risk chopping it down only to have it fall on the house, the fence, or worse on your neighbor’s house. Let the tree experts handle this so all goes smoothly.

Remember, just because a project seems simple that doesn’t mean it will be. Sometimes it’s better to let the experts do the work.